Editor’s Note: This story was inspired by Episode 020 of Unstuck to Finding Your Edge, my weekly Substack Live series with Jess, The Creator. We took a virtual trip through Ljubljana, Slovenia, and revisited some of the unexpected moments that made me fall in love with this remarkable destination. Watch the replay below, then explore my full Ljubljana travel guide for where to stay, what to eat, and what I’d do when you go.
I’ve always been more interested in places that haven’t become the obvious choice yet.
The destinations where you can still wander without fighting your way through crowds. Where you sit down at a restaurant because it looks interesting, walk into a hotel because you’re curious, or miss a boat and somehow end up making a new friend.
Ljubljana was that kind of place for me.
I first went to Slovenia in 2023 because a well-traveled friend told me I had to see it. He knew how I liked to travel, and when someone who has been all over the world tells me, “You need to go there,” I listen.
So I went and then I extended my stay because I didn’t want to leave.
That probably tells you more about Ljubljana than any travel ranking could.
Recently, Jess and I revisited that trip during Episode 020 of our weekly Substack Live show, Unstuck to Finding Your Edge. As I walked her through Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Piran, the hotels, the food, and some of the people I met along the way, I realized something.
Some of my favorite memories from Slovenia weren’t really planned at all.
Sometimes Missing The Boat Works Out
One afternoon in Ljubljana, I decided to take a river cruise.
No elaborate itinerary. I saw the river and thought it would be a lovely way to see the city from another perspective.
I arrived at the dock and discovered I’d missed the boat.
Literally.
Another traveler had missed it too. We went our separate ways, came back an hour later for the next departure, and eventually started talking.
He was a professional photographer from Oman who also runs camel tours.
Of course he does.
We spent the cruise talking about travel, photography, Oman, and camels. Later, we had dinner together at Breg, a restaurant along the river that I enjoyed so much I ate there twice.
Somewhere in the middle of dinner, I started sneezing uncontrollably.
To this day, I still wonder if camel dander travels.
We’ve remained connected on social media, and Oman is now firmly on my list. Although, given the sneezing situation, I’m still undecided about getting on a camel.
That entire experience happened because I missed a one-hour river cruise.
Travel does that sometimes.
You make a plan, the plan goes sideways, and what replaces it becomes the story you remember.
Then There Was The “Grand Hotel Topless”
Lake Bled is about an hour from Ljubljana and looks almost too perfect to be real.
Emerald water. A church sitting on an island. A castle high above the lake. Walking and hiking trails everywhere.
And yes, I did hike up to the castle. I also got winded.
During the Live, Jess asked whether I walked back down. The more I thought about it, the more I remembered that I may have taken a car.
It was hot. I’m sticking with that excuse.
While walking around Lake Bled, I spotted a beautiful hotel directly on the water and decided to go inside. I introduced myself, explained that I had a travel company, and asked the concierge if he would mind showing me around.
He offered me champagne.
We sat and talked.
Then he gave me the grand tour.
That’s how I discovered the Grand Hotel Toplice.
Or, as I initially called it, the “Grand Hotel Topless.”
Thankfully, the concierge corrected me.
Experiences like that are part of why I travel the way I do. I want to see what happens when I walk through the door. I want to meet the person running the property. I want to know what a hotel feels like beyond the photographs and booking page.
And sometimes I apparently want to completely butcher its name.
Luxury Doesn’t Always Look The Way You Expect
Another day, I wanted to visit Piran, a beautiful fishing village on Slovenia’s coast.
I was told I could take a bus.
As an American, “take the bus” didn’t immediately sound like the beginning of a luxury travel story, but I was game.
The bus was comfortable, air-conditioned, had Wi-Fi and curtains, and somewhere along the way, a bachelorette party climbed aboard.
The bride was wearing a veil, carrying a basket of homemade cookies, handing them out to passengers, and celebrating with champagne.
I had accidentally boarded the party bus.
When I arrived in Piran, an antique car show was rolling through town.
None of that appeared on my itinerary and that’s exactly the point.
Luxury travel, at least to me, has never been about insulating yourself from the place you came to experience.
Sometimes luxury is the five-star hotel, sometimes it’s dinner in a castle, and sometimes it’s having the freedom to get on a bus, eat a homemade cookie from a Slovenian bride, and see where the day takes you.
Ljubljana Still Gives You Room To Discover It
That may be what I love most about Ljubljana.
It still feels discoverable.
You can walk almost everywhere. Restaurants line the river. Local markets spill into the squares. You can take the funicular to Ljubljana Castle for dinner, spend an afternoon on the water, or simply wander without needing every hour scheduled in advance.
And Ljubljana makes a wonderful base for exploring more of Slovenia.
There’s Lake Bled. Piran. Hiking. Skiing in winter. Local crafts and food. And yes, Slovenia is famous for its caves.
Those are a hard pass for me.
I’m claustrophobic. Put me on the water, beside the water, or overlooking the water.
Under the ground in a dark cave?
No.
Jess didn’t seem particularly eager to join me there either.
However, that’s another thing I appreciate about travel: you don’t have to do everything a destination is famous for. You get to figure out what makes a place interesting to you.
For me, Slovenia was the food, the walkability, the people, the surrounding towns, and all those unexpected encounters I couldn’t have planned if I tried.
Some Places Just Pull Me Back
Toward the end of our Live, I told Jess something I’ve been thinking about more lately.
I used to believe I wouldn’t return to the same places very often.
There’s too much world to see. Why keep going back?
Then I went to Portugal seven times.
Croatia pulled me back too and now Ljubljana is doing the same thing because returning doesn’t necessarily mean repeating the same trip.
There’s another neighborhood to walk, another property to experience, another nearby town to explore, another person to meet.
And Ljubljana is changing.
More travelers are discovering it. The transportation infrastructure is growing. The city is receiving more international attention.
That’s good news for Slovenia.
It also means the version I experienced in 2023 won’t stay exactly that way forever.
Which is why I keep coming back to the same advice:
Go before the crowds.
Not because a destination becomes less worthy once everyone discovers it, but because there’s something special about arriving while a place still has enough room to surprise you.
Ljubljana surprised me.
Enough to extend my stay, enough to keep telling people about it, and enough that I already know I want to go back.
In Episode 020 of Unstuck to Finding Your Edge, Jess and I take you there virtually—from Ljubljana’s river and castle to Lake Bled, Piran, Michelin dining, my accidental party bus, and yes, the Grand Hotel “Topless.”
Watch the Live above, and if Ljubljana has officially made its way onto your travel list, read my full Rare Finds guide for the hotels, restaurants, day trips, and travel details I’d recommend before you go.
Explore more,
Robyn
Resources From This Conversation
Robyn’s newest article for premium subscribers about Slovenia →
Ljubljana, Slovenia: A Hidden Gem for Luxury Travelers Before the Crowds Discover It
September Dispatch — Slovenia and why you should seriously consider this for your next European adventure.
Follow Robyn at Rare Finds - Luxury Travel →
Follow Robyn at Finding Your Edge →
Scan Robyn’s QR code to access her Youtube channel →
Follow Jess at NP Fellow Become The CEO of Your Health →
Follow Jess at Nurse in the Market →
Follow Jess at Unstuck to Published →
Thank You
Thank you so much for everyone who tuned into this live, your presence is truly appreciated, and to the people who are watching the replay, thank you!
See you next Friday at 12pm ET for our weekly show, stay tuned!
-Robyn Levin & Jess, The Creator
